A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to percussion instruments used in bands and orchestras. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved drumstick useable with snare drums, cymbals, and related percussion instruments.
B. Description of Background Art
Drums of various types continue to be an indispensable requirement for most bands and orchestras. Many musical groups employ a full complement of percussion instruments including bass drums, tom-toms, snare drums and cymbals. Hand-held drumsticks are used to strike the drumheads of snare drums, tom-toms and the like, and the surfaces of cymbals, to produce desired percussion sounds. Traditionally, drumsticks are made of a relatively hard wood such as hickory.
Although many attempts have been made to replace the wood used in traditional drumsticks with various synthetic materials, including composites, wooden drumsticks are still preferred by most musicians, for a variety of reasons.
For example, most composite drumsticks have insufficient rigidity to satisfy typical drummers. Those composite drumsticks that do have a rigidity approaching that of wood are usually quite expensive, selling for several times the price of wooden drumsticks. The higher cost of composite drumsticks results from the high cost of composite materials such as graphite, which is a highly preferred and often used composite material.
In addition to the higher cost of composite drumsticks relative to those made of wood, drumsticks made of synthetic materials present certain other disadvantages. Thus, even drumsticks made from graphite composites have less rigidity than wooden drumsticks. This lack of rigidity causes the drumstick to vibrate excessively when struck against a drumhead, rim or cymbal. A great majority of drummers find the excessive vibration of composite drumsticks to be disconcerting, or even unacceptable.
Since most composite drumsticks are made from either a graphite or fiberglass reinforced plastic resin, they are usually heavier than wooden drumsticks. Depending upon the characteristics of the particular composite materials, some composite drumsticks may be substantially heavier than wooden drumsticks. This increased weight is highly undesirable, since it can more quickly tire a drummer engaged in vigorous drum and cymbal playing.
The higher cost, lack of rigidity, increased vibration susceptibility and greater weight of composite drumsticks described above are all negative characteristics from a drummer's point of view. Thus, increased durability alone is usually not a sufficient reason to justify the higher cost of composite drumsticks, considering the other negative properties of composite drumsticks. For these reasons, not to mention tradition, the vast majority of drummers still prefer wooden drumsticks.
Although wooden drumsticks are preferred by most drummers, for the reasons stated above, drumsticks made of wood do have a serious drawback, namely limited durability. The two localities of a wooden drumstick that are most vulnerable to damage are the central longitudinal portion of the shaft or handle, and the tip.
The central longitudinal portion of a drumstick shaft is particularly susceptible to damage, which can result in early failure of the drumstick, when used to perform "rimshots."
To perform a rimshot, the head and metal rim of a drum are struck simultaneously. This simultaneous striking of the head and drum rim produces a real "crack," not unlike the sound of a rifle shot. It is the loudest stroke that can be performed on a drum. Rimshots are employed more frequently than in the past, to achieve a maximum volume, according to the dictates of modern musical compositions.
Rimshots are so called because the drumstick shaft makes direct contact with the metal rim that holds the drumhead in place. Most drum rims are made from rolled steel or heavy duty die-cast metals. To say that such rims are unforgiving to wooden drumsticks struck on the rims would be a gross understatement.
When a wooden drumstick impacts a drumhead rim during a series of rimshots, the impacted central longitudinal portion of the drumstick shaft oftentimes begins to break down and splinter almost immediately. In fact, it is not unusual for a drummer to wear out several pairs of drumsticks in one evening, depending upon the strength of the drummer and the type and design of the drum rims.
Once the center portion of a drumstick shaft becomes splintered, frayed and soft, the sharp attack sound of the rimshot is lost. When so damaged, the drumstick becomes useless for any playing requiring rimshots, even though the rest of the stick may still be in a playable condition. Some drummers use larger-than-normal, heavier, more durable wooden drumsticks to achieve greater useful life. However, most of them would prefer to use drumsticks of normal size and weight.
The tip of wooden drumsticks are also subject to premature wear and failure. This is especially true when the drumsticks are used to strike cymbals, which are made of a bronze alloy. In several hours of playing on cymbals, the wooden tip of a drumstick begins to soften once the varnish or other finish coat is worn off. The tip then begins to fray rapidly. The deteriorated state of the tip makes it impossible to achieve a clean, clear attack on the cymbals, rendering the stick useless for that purpose. Wooden drumstick tips are also prone to chipping at any time.
To solve the problem of premature tip failure, a number of manufacturers press-fit a nylon tip to the drumstick, securing the tip to the stick with an adhesive. This construction does not solve the rimshot wear problem, but does extend tip life. However, this construction presents new problems, as will now be described.
Nylon tips often loosen during hard playing. This is because the adhesive joint joining the tip to the stick can be quickly de-adhered in response to shock and vibration experienced during vigorous playing. As the glue breaks down, the tip can now fly off during a performance, producing a potentially hazardous projectile. A number of well-known drummers have sustained moderate to serious eye injuries as a result of this problem.
Also, hairline cracks can occur in a tip that is press-fitted to a drumstick, owing to stresses created in the tip during the attachment operation. Often not visible, these hairline cracks can result in a nylon tip flying across the stage during a performance.
A number of prior art references disclose improvements in drumsticks. Those references which the present inventor is aware of consist of the following nine United State patents and one German patent.
Zipperstein, U.S. Pat. No. 1,739,275, Dec. 10, 1929, Drumstick:
Discloses a metallic sleeve arranged to fit over reduced diameter portions formed on adjacent sections of a drumstick, to hold the sections together.
Criscuolo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,450, Mar. 30, 1965, Drumstick:
Discloses a wooden drumstick which is completely covered by a layer of hardened plastic material, which layer may contain wooden chips as a filler.
Kline, U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,323, Aug. 9, 1977, Synthetic Material Drumstick:
Discloses a drumstick which is machined from fiberglass reinforced polyester resin rod stock.
Fiedler, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,460, Sep. 13, 1977, Drumstick:
Discloses a drumstick fabricated from two generally semi-cylindrically shaped hollow shells made of randomly oriented carbon or graphite fibers in a nylon matrix. The two shells are ultrasonically welded together to form an integral drumstick.
Petillo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,503, Sep. 13, 1977, Drumstick:
Discloses a composite drumstick formed from an elongated cruciform cross-section core made of a material such as aluminum, onto which are bonded strips of wood. The composite assembly is turned on a lathe until the desired final external form of the drumstick is achieved.
Warrick, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,826, Jan. 27, 1981, Drumstick:
Discloses a drumstick having a wooden body with a cylindrical opening in the front end thereof for receiving a flexible fiberglass rod end overlain by a frusto-conically shaped reinforcing sleeve.
Donohoe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,688, Mar. 23, 1982, Synthetic Drumstick and Method of Making:
Discloses a drumstick having a hollow tubular central core sealed at the rear end thereof with a butt plug, and a flexible stud inserted into the front opening of the core. A glass-filled nylon skin is molded over the core and stud, forming a striking tip where the skin overlies the forward end of the stud. Heiskill, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,296, Jul. 31, 1984, Drumstick For Playing Percussion Instruments:
Discloses a wooden drumstick having scratches and ridges formed in the handle portion for providing a non-slip grip. A polyurethane coating is applied to the tapered front portion and head to strengthen the drumstick. Donohoe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,557, Aug. 16, 1988, One-Piece Hollow Drumstick And Method of Making:
Discloses a one-piece hollow drumstick which is injection molded from a plastic material. German Patent DE, 4,001,403, Vogel, Jul. 7, 1990:
Discloses a drumstick having an elongated sleeve made of woven polyurethane fibers and tightly wrapped over that portion of the drumstick extending rearward some distance from the junction of the front tapered portion of the stock with the handle portion.
The present inventor is unaware of any entirely satisfactory prior art solutions to the problem of increasing the life of wooden drumsticks.